Agenda item

To consider a report on the Local Plan Consultation Review presented to the Panel by the Planning Service Manager (Policy).

The Panel received a report by the Head of Development updating them on the key issues arising from the recent targeted consultation on the Local Plan. This report brings a fuller picture on the results and details of the next steps planned, as requested by the Panel when they received a position statement on the Local Plan in April.

The report sets out a number of key issues to be addressed. Some of these issues were raised through the consultation and others have been identified from reviewing the outcomes of examinations elsewhere.

The Panel was informed of continuing work on the preparation of the Local Plan, including resources focussing on highways and transport modelling and analysis. It is expected that the majority of the work to complete the evidence base will take 6 to 9 months. The work needs to be undertaken in order, with flooding and highways work to take place before the new Retail Study is commissioned. The Local Plan will also need to be consistent with the results from the Environment Agency’s new lower Great Ouse modelling due to be published in August 2015.

It was confirmed that the Council will continue making decisions on applications without a Local Plan in place, having regard to the National Planning Policy Framework. There is a need to continue to ensure that there is a five year supply of housing land to reduce the likelihood of unexpected decisions at appeal and it was confirmed that this is in place. The Council has continued to work with partners on development sites such as Alconbury Weald and sites in Ramsey and Warboys.

The possibility of land at RAF Molesworth and RAF Alconbury being included in the Local Plan was discussed and it was stated that this land cannot be allocated as it has not yet been declared surplus but the Council will continue to monitor the situation.

A Member sought confirmation of whether gypsy/traveller accommodation needs would be met through the Local Plan. The Head of Development confirmed that at a recent appeal relating to an application for six pitches in Alconbury the inspector confirmed the district had a 10 year supply of gypsy/traveller pitches and could meet the needs.

The number of responses to the consultation was queried. As a targeted consultation, fewer responses were expected than in earlier rounds which had a wider focus and involved more people. The response rate was not unexpected and the independent inspector would not penalise the Council for a lack of engagement but would focus on whether significant issues have been resolved. It was suggested that there had not been many responses from District Councillors as there were few changes for them to comment on.

In response to how progress will be communicated to residents, the Head of Development indicated that more communication was required and welcomed views on how to do this. It was suggested that information be sent to Town and Parish Councils at the earliest opportunity.

There was discussion over affordable housing and how to ensure enough was provided. The Head of Development described this as challenging but explained that the Council has an exception site policy in both its adopted core strategy and the draft Local Plan. However, there can be barriers to this from local opposition. The Council was previously able to secure grants from Government to help fund exception sites and due to the reduction in grants available now allows a proportion of market homes to subsidise the affordable homes built on these sites. It was confirmed that this has been communicated to town/parish councils. Exception sites are only sought where surveys have identified a need and the targeted consultation proposed to remove the requirement for town/parish council support.

Affordable housing on larger sites is affected by viability but the Council is still seeking to maximise this. Retained consultants act as the Council’s experts in undertaking viability assessments and these are paid for by the developer but instructed by the Council. Some developers consider that the Council is too hard in its challenges as it does the utmost to secure the best possible deal for communities. The Council is exploring use of its own land for affordable housing development and a report on affordable housing from a working group is due to go to the Overview & Scrutiny (Social Well-being) Panel in October.

In response to a comment regarding national criticism of how long local authorities are taking to produce Local Plans, the Head of Development explained that tests are being applied by inspectors so councils need to ensure that Local Plans meet their requirements. He confirmed that Huntingdonshire has the five year supply of housing land it is required to have.

Resources for highways and transport modelling were discussed and it was confirmed that contributions were being sought from Crest Nicolson, the development partner for the RAF Wyton site, as they will need to prove the viability of the site for housing.

Public transport and parking issues in new developments such as Love’s Farm, St Neots were highlighted. The Panel was informed that the maximum parking standards applied by the Government at the time of the Love’s Farm application no longer apply. The District Council is working with the County Council to move towards a monitoring and management approach to mitigate transport issues in new developments.

It was suggested that the Council needs to ensure that contributions from developers are adjusted where extra homes are added after developments and contributions are approved. It was also suggested that creating bus stop areas in new housing sites would encourage bus companies to route services through new developments. The Head of Development undertook to consider these suggestions in discussion with local bus companies.